(Finance) – The definitive project of the Bridge over the Strait of Messina with regards to seismic aspects is complete and detailed. As we read on the press agency Energy Beyondboth the Minister for Relations with Parliament Luca Ciriani and Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, head of the Department of Environment and Energy Security, responded clearly during today’s Question Time in the Chamber.
CIRIANI: ON SEISMIC ASPECTS THE FINAL PROJECT IS COMPLETE AND DETAILED – “The regulations relating to the procedures for restarting the activity connected to the design and construction of the stable connection between Sicily and Calabria are found in Legislative Decree 35 of 2023 which, in order to provide a solution to the specific needs for the continuation of the work, has precisely defined the procedures for completing the design for the related approval for the start of construction work and for identifying the regulations applicable to the executive phase. In particular, article 3 of Legislative Decree 35 which identifies the procedural process for the approval of the definitive project of the bridge by Cipess, does not refer to the transmission of the definitive project of the designer’s report to the Superior Council of Public Works” said the Minister for Relations with Parliament responding in the Chamber.
“For the technical aspects of the decree law, in fact, it is envisaged that these documents are submitted to a specific scientific committee made up of nine members with adequate specialization and experience who operate according to the principle of autonomy and independence with technical consultancy tasks also for the purposes of the supervision and direction of the technical design activities. On 29 January 2024, the Scientific Committee expressed a favorable opinion to the company’s board of directors with a recommendation regarding the definitive and executive project of the Work and the variants – continued the minister -. In addition to these elements, it is remembered that the preparation and approval of the definitive request for the bridge is the result of a complex procedure which, starting from the project drawn up and updated by Eurolink, involved the highest representatives of the disciplines of aerodynamics, seismic aeroelastic, geotechnical and environment. The definitive project is supported by over 300 geological documents created through new and more in-depth documentation developed at various graphic scales. This documentation is based on approximately 400 specific investigations including geological, geotechnical and seismic surveys. The geology of the Strait of Messina has been carefully studied, all the faults present in the various Strait of Messina, including those on the Calabrian side, have been identified, surveyed and monitored. On the basis of the seismic and tectonic geological studies conducted, the points of interaction between the bridge over the strait and the ground were identified in order to avoid positioning on active faults and guarantee maximum safety even in the event of an earthquake. Therefore, as regards the seismic aspects, the definitive project of the bridge over the strait is complete and detailed”, concluded Ciriani.
PICKET: NO MANDATE TO INGV FOR SEISMIC RISK ASSESSMENT – Minister Pichetto also added in his subsequent speech that “the assessment of seismic risk does not fall within the institutional tasks of the Mase, nor does the possible granting of an official mandate to the INGV for carrying out these activities, in consideration of the fact that the evaluation of the seismic action pertains to the structural checks of the work, to be evaluated in a context other than that of the EIA”.
“As recently indicated also by Minister Salvini, during a question in the Senate, the definitive project of the Bridge over the Strait, as regards the seismic aspects, is complete and detailed. Consequently, no official mandate has been provided to the INGV. Nonetheless, some researchers from the same Institute collaborated with the general contractor both in the drafting phase of the 2011 project and in the recent update. Furthermore, the definitive project of the Bridge is already accompanied by levels of detail higher than those of level 3 of seismic microzonation, required for the design of strategic works”, admitted the minister.
In relation to the environmental assessment procedures, Pichetto specified “it is anticipated that with reference to the 62 conditions posed by the positive opinion of the VIA-VAS Technical Commission, the Stretto di Messina SpA company, last December 24, sent the documentation relating to the environmental condition n. 1, which is currently being evaluated by the Technical Commission. As required by current legislation, we will subsequently proceed with the communication to the European Commission, pursuant to the ‘Habitat’ Directive reference, finally, to what concerns Vinca and the negative opinion with respect to some specific sites, having verified the lack of alternative solutions compared to the one proposed, and having certified the imperative reasons of significant public interest of the project, it is noted that it has been drawn up a Level III Impact Assessment, in order to outline any necessary compensation measures aimed at guaranteeing the conservation objectives of the sites and aimed at canceling the residual impacts that remain following the implementation of the defined mitigation measures. These measures will have to be better detailed in accordance with the provisions of current legislation”, concluded Minister Pichetto.